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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the team paid a "heavy price" at the start of this season after pushing development of its 2025 car right to the end of that campaign as it fought to secure the drivers' and constructors' titles. Stella said: "Not only because the rule changes were probably the most significant ever in the history of this sport, but above all because we realised just how heavy a price we had paid for the effort we put in during 2025 to secure the world double. We tried to understand the technical and strategic reasons, and we focused our efforts."
Toto Wolff says Kimi Antonelliâs rapid development over the past few months has surprised him, calling it the best growth he has seen from any young driver. Wolff said: "The whole thing is a surprise. That someone can grow so much over a few months. His capability of taking information in, processing it, and executing it is outstanding. It's the best I've seen from any young driver in terms of the growing process going so quickly."
Isack Hadjar said moving from Red Bullâs sister team to the main Red Bull squad this year was a âculture shockâ, as he adjusted from what he described as an Italian âfamily teamâ environment to a British one. Hadjar said: "That was definitely a culture shock. You go from more of a family team, Italian team to [a] British [one]. It's definitely different. But VCARB, they helped me massively in my first year. They're used to having young drivers to prepare for the main seat."
McLaren technical director for engineering Neil Houldey says the team is not stopping development of its 2026 car because it believes the learning will still carry over into 2027, even with changes planned to its concept. Houldey said: "We're certainly not stopping development on '26 because we know that whatever we take from 2026 into 2027, that learning will carry over. Even if our car might get a little bit longer, even if conceptually the suspension might change, everything that we're learning this year is very much relevant for next year. So, we're very keen to keep developing the car for as long as we possibly can."
Sergio Perez says he is not âoverdeliveringâ at Cadillac and insisted he was unable to show his âtrue potentialâ during the last six months of his time at Red Bull because of âvery different circumstancesâ. Perez said: "People think that I'm overdelivering at the moment, but I was driving already at a very high level earlier, given the circumstances I was in. And there's no difference with this new generation of cars. I'm really happy with the level at the moment, with my pace, I'm really happy and I seem to be getting better and better. I just have to keep performing. That's the only thing that matters to me at the moment."
Liam Lawson says Racing Bulls have been able to bring upgrades this season without the sort of complications that can force teams to take âthree steps backâ under Formula 1âs new technical regulations. Lawson said: "You bring something to a race and it doesn't work like you think it does. You have to go three steps back to almost find your way again. That's something that we haven't had to do this year. Everything we've done has been working very well."
Audi racing director Allan McNish says Audiâs priority for the second half of the season is to fix the reliability problems that have affected the team in recent races. McNish said: "We've obviously got to get some of the reliability issues sorted out that have afflicted us over the last two races. If I think about Nico at Silverstone, and also the problem we had in qualifying at Spa, I think that's fundamentally the thing we've got to try and fix."
Jos Verstappen said he was âvery surprisedâ when Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko told him during negotiations that he wanted Max Verstappen in Formula 1 in 2015. Jos Verstappen said: "I remember it well. I was at Hockenheim, and it was a typical conversation with Helmut. He came over to our table and said, 'I only have 20 minutes.' I told him that was more than enough time to talk. His opening line was: 'I want Max with us in F1 next year'. I was very surprised that he said that, so I replied, 'Okay, Helmut, let's do it - but for two years, not just one'."
Liam Lawson says Racing Bullsâ car development has been âby farâ the strongest he has seen from the team during the 2026 season. Lawson said: "On the development side, by far the strongest. So far, I think everything we've been bringing has been working very, very well. Obviously, you have upgrades that are run through simulations and theoretically can be better, but they're not always exactly what they seem. So for us, it's been very good."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Formula 1âs new regulations have been ânothing short of disruptiveâ for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, but he is pleased with how both drivers have adapted so far this season. Andrea Stella said: "I am very pleased with how our driver line-up is performing in this early part of the 2026 season. For Oscar and Lando â as indeed for their 20 colleagues on the F1 grid â the impact of the new regulations has been nothing short of disruptive. The new generation of single-seaters requires not only an adaptation of driving style but, above all, much greater focus on understanding how to exploit the full potential offered by the new power units."
George Russell has announced he is engaged to partner Carmen Mundt, confirming the news on social media during the summer break. Russell posted four photos on Instagram alongside an engagement ring emoji, with the post quickly drawing large numbers of likes and a public congratulatory message from his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
Oscar Piastri says McLarenâs general level of performance in the 2026 Formula 1 season has not been where the team wants it to be and that his year has been âup and downâ. Piastri said: "I think our kind of general level of performance has not been quite where we want it to be, obviously. We've come close to some victories and had a few podiums, which has been good, but we obviously set the bar pretty high last year. We've also had a fair share of issues, whether it be difficult races or reliability issues. So definitely up and down."
Max Verstappen says he does not want to take credit for the rise in motorsport popularity in the Netherlands. Verstappen said: "Well, I don't want to say it's all because of me. I've done my part. Above all, I think it's great to see that motorsports is truly alive in the Netherlands. I don't personally need to take credit for that."
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said an FIA-selected independent engine supplier for customer teams is possible in theory, but questioned whether it could deliver the required performance. Vasseur said: "To build up the engine, it's not complex. What is complex is the level of performance. If you think that with the cost cap, I think that this exercise is very difficult to be performant with the cost caps."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says Isack Hadjar is giving the team its best âtrajectoryâ in the second car âfor a long timeâ, after the 21-year-old was promoted from Racing Bulls. Mekies said: "It's fantastic news for the team. It is what we need. And it helps also in terms of team cohesion and getting everyone united together because we have two cars, and we can play with the two cars â as we've done in Spa, for example, in qualifying. So it's only the beginning. But for sure, the trajectory is the best one we have had on that second car for a long time."
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis says a further big weight cut is a key aim for Formula 1âs next technical regulations cycle, with a target of âanother 80 kilos lighterâ than the current 2026 cars, alongside being âa bit shorter and a bit smallerâ. Speaking to Autosport, Tombazis also argued the 2026 aero concept has proved âmore robustâ so far and that cars âfollow each other more closelyâ, while accepting they remain âquite difficult cars to driveâ.
Gabriel Bortoleto says Audiâs takeover of Sauber has driven a major shift in mentality inside the team, with the manufacturerâs backing and its own engine programme changing how it operates compared with the past. Bortoleto said: "Yeah, you can really see a difference, especially the mentality has shifted a lot. We have Audi backing us up. It's manufacturing. We are doing our own engine. We have a lot of financial support from them, so we are not struggling in that sense that maybe Sauber struggled in the past. And then the mentality also shifts. We want to achieve big things in the future."
Williams team principal James Vowles says the team is effectively âflying the plane and rebuilding it at the same timeâ as it tries to move forward after a tough start to the 2026 season. Vowles said: "We have to, as a business, prove to ourselves that we can do the engineering to the right level of quality, and build a car to that level of quality in the season; it is effectively the equivalent of flying the plane and rebuilding it at the same time."
Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar said being Max Verstappenâs team-mate is a âluxuryâ because it lets him measure himself against what he describes as the best driver on the grid. Hadjar said: "I've always been curious to know, what's the highest level in the world? What is it like to share the same car as the best driver on the grid? And at 21 years old, I have the luxury to get to compare myself against Max and see what he does."
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